Electric igniters for barbecue grills are well known. Typically they have a handle and a loop of electric resistance heater wire. In use the loop is buried under the charcoal or other material to be lit, and the unit is connected to household electric current until the charcoal starts to burn.
These units have several disadvantages. First, they cannot be used without a supply of electricity at 110 volts, and they draw perhaps ten amperes of current. Accordingly such devices cannot be used in remote locations such as parks or picnic areas. In addition, conventional igniters pose safety hazards after the fire or charcoal has been started. The heating element remains dangerously hot for some period of time even after it is unplugged. Because of its loop shape the heating element is difficult to cover. This makes it difficult to protect against accidental contact with the hot element.
Another type of electric resistance igniter has been used to ignite liquid or gaseous fuels. These igniters use an electric resistance wire wound around a ceramic core which is then at least partially encased in another ceramic tube. These units are not suitable for lighting barbecue grills because they rely on direct contact between the fuel and the ceramic casing for ignition. A barbecue grill is too hostile an environment for the brittle ceramic of these types of heaters to survive long.